Beer Reviews - Beer Blog
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • RSS
  • About
    • About Me
    • Friends
  • Beer Reviews
  • Breweries & Pubs
  • Beer Festivals & Events
    • Beer Festivals & Events
    • Festivals
    • Golden Pints
    • Beer Swap
    • Open It
    • Twissup
    • World Cup Beer Sweepstake
  • Meet The Brewer
    • Meet The Brewer
    • Meet The Home Brewer
    • Meet The Publican
  • Beer Stuff
    • Places to buy beer
      • AleselA
      • Lions Den Yarm
      • Ales By Mail
      • Beermerchants
      • Beer Ritz
      • Beer Here
      • Belgian Beer Shop
      • The Belgian Beer Company
      • B & M Bargains
      • My Brewery Tap
      • Lewis and Cooper
      • Hi-Spirits
    • Beer Stuff
    • Food and Recipes
    • Beer News
    • Beer Gifts & Gadgets
    • Home Brew Beer
    • Games
    • Drinking and dental health
  • Contact
  • Homepage

Drinking and dental health

  • Home
  • Drinking and dental health

Dental health may be the last thing on your mind if you’re going out for a drink with your friends, but your choice of tipple can have a lasting effect on your teeth. Alcoholic drinks have a range of effects on your teeth and gums. While many of these effects are detrimental, some drinks can actually be beneficial, including many beers and ales.

Alcohol and dental health

So why do alcoholic drinks affect your teeth? Well, the obvious answer is that they contain sugar, which promotes the growth of plaque-producing bacteria. More acidic drinks can erode tooth enamel, leaving teeth more vulnerable to cavities. But that’s not the whole story. Alcohol reduces the amount of protective saliva you produce, so sugars and acids are less likely to be naturally neutralised and washed away. In excess it can also irritate the soft tissues in your mouth, causing corrosion to your gums and cheek linings, and that can increase your chances of oral cancer.

Drinks to avoid

Fortunately for most beer-lovers, the worst candidates are sweet, fruity, acidic beverages, which coat your teeth with sugar and acids. During an evening of making merry these low pH, high sugar concoctions coat your teeth, slowly dehydrating your mouth and encouraging bacterial growth. Wine is also quite acidic, and spirits mixed with carbonated soft drinks also deposit sugar and acids where you least want them. Even beers have their down sides, as some beers, including darker ales, can be quite acidic.

Beer – more nutritious than you might think!

Fortunately for those who appreciate a good brew, beer also contains substances that are great for your teeth! Real ales and craft beers with high barley and hop contents contain high levels of silica and calcium, both of which are used by our bodies to strengthen bones, hair, nails and teeth. A study from the University of Iowa has actually demonstrated that these beers can inhibit mineral loss from teeth, protecting them from demineralisation and decay. Beer is also loaded with tannins, which, while they can cause staining, reduce the ability of bacteria to adhere to the surface of your teeth. If you’re drinking beer in moderation, you’re actually doing your teeth a favour. There’s never been a better excuse to enjoy a proper pint!

So how do you prevent drink-related tooth decay?

Even counting the positive effects of beer, it still contains sugar and acids, and it’s important to make sure that your consumption doesn’t harm your teeth. The best way to protect your teeth from alcoholic drinks is to take care of them properly in the first place, and that means regular brushing and flossing. If you have any concerns at all, the best thing to do is to  find a dentist and get a professional opinion. If you don’t happen to have a regular dentist, sites like Toothpick can help you find one quickly. You can also reduce the impact of drinking alcohol by having a glass of water along with your beer.

Search Beer Reviews

Buy me a beer

Enjoyed what you've read? Then why not buy me a beer or two.

Recent Posts

  • LemonTop’s 50th Brewery Client
  • My Golden Pints 2015
  • Golden Pints – Jonny Garrett
  • Golden Pint Awards 2015
  • Golden Pint Awards 2014
Websites for breweries

Beer Tags

Adnams american beer beer and food Beer and food pairing Beer bloggers Beer Festival beer recipe beer recipes Beer Swap Belgian Beer bitter blogger beer swap Bottle conditioned bottled ale bottled beer BrewDog cask ale cask beer craft beer Crown Brewery cumbrian beer english ale english ales Golden Pints home brew IPA keg beer kegged beer local ale locale Meet The Brewer newcastle northern beer pale ale real ale scottish ale scottish beer sheffield Stout Strong beer Thornbridge Twissup york Yorkshire Ale Yorkshire beer

Recent Comments

  • Kiwigaz on Theakson Old Peculiar Ale Cake
  • Kiwigaz on Theakson Old Peculiar Ale Cake
  • Patrick on Hiver Honey Beer
  • landells on Golden Pint Awards 2015
  • Bryan Betts on Golden Pint Awards 2015

Beer Reviews on Twitter

  • RT @lemontopgin: IT IS HERE!!! Our LemonTop Gin has arrived! 🍋🍸 Be fast and get your glass of nostalgia now! Just in time for Christmas!… 07:47:03 PM November 22, 2020 from Twitter for iPhone ReplyRetweetFavorite
  • RT @lemontopgin: Get your taste of nostalgia before anyone else by signing up at https://t.co/KcbqwuyQZF 🍋🍸✨ #lemontop #redcar #ginshelfie… 07:55:11 PM November 19, 2020 from Twitter for iPhone ReplyRetweetFavorite
@beerreviewsandy
Web design Darlington

Stuff you may like

Don’t like beer?

Latest Tweets

  • RT @lemontopgin: IT IS HERE!!! Our LemonTop Gin has arrived! 🍋🍸 Be fast and get your glass of nostalgia now! Just in time for Christmas!… 07:47:03 PM November 22, 2020 from Twitter for iPhone
  • RT @lemontopgin: Get your taste of nostalgia before anyone else by signing up at https://t.co/KcbqwuyQZF 🍋🍸✨ #lemontop #redcar #ginshelfie… 07:55:11 PM November 19, 2020 from Twitter for iPhone
  • RT @lemontopgin: Another day closer to launch ... don’t forget to sign up on https://t.co/BEVvPqAlYj and you’ll be the first to know where… 09:01:47 PM October 27, 2020 from Twitter for iPhone

More Beery Stuff

  • Breweries and Pubs
  • Places to buy beer
  • Friends
  • Contact

Recent Posts

  • LemonTop’s 50th Brewery Client
  • My Golden Pints 2015
  • Golden Pints – Jonny Garrett

My Other Sites

  • BrewSites
  • Chilli Up North
  • Megane Owners Club
  • Mogg Blog

(c) 2014 Beer Reviews - Beer Blog - Every Beer Has A Story